The City Lord who was almost at the entrance to the Enchanted Forest suddenly stopped moving. Then he turned and said to the Enchanted Forest guards, "Hmm. I am curious about something though."
"We will answer anything the City Lord requires of us as long as we are able to!"
"Those youngsters you were talking about; did Vital Orange truly bring them here? Vital Orange and Black Hand?"
"Yes, City Lord," the guards were stunned by the question. They wondered why their City Lord would suddenly be interested in this, but they didn't dare ask. Theirs wasn't to ask questions of their ruler; theirs was only to obey.
"Interesting," the City Lord smiled. Mira's brows were furrowed. Although the general public didn't know about Black Hand, how could the Lord of Asher City not know that there was a Snake in his city? In fact, her father was more wary of Black Hand than he was of Vital Orange. After all, Vital Orange was a Tiger, and her father was stronger. Plus her father had numerous strong warriors at his side. Yet a Snake was different. This was someone who specialized in concealment, assassination and poisons. He may not be a great asset in the Grand Tourney, but he was a dangerous weapon anywhere else.
Why was her father wary of him? Well, the Orange Team came from the First Class City called Citadel. The Citadel was a powerful city and they had numerous experts. But they never took the Grand Tourney seriously. They usually sent their weakest warriors to enroll in the tournament when many cities sent their strongest. Yet they had never finished beneath the Top 4 before! They had even won the Grand Tourney once. What was frightening about this city was that no outsider had ever entered it before. No one from the other cities knew what that place was like or what their true strength was. But one thing was certain: They were several times stronger than any other First Class City. As for why they accepted to be part of the Grand Tourney, her father had a guess.
"I think they are tired of waiting. They want to assimilate all the other cities. What better way to understand ones opponents than to visit their cities and fight the strongest they have to offer"
That was what her father had told her, and she believed that he was right. And he was proven to be right when they approached him during the last Grand Tourney and offered him amnesty if he handed Asher City over willingly. Her father's response?
"You can rot in hell!"
He was infuriated with the offer. They might be weaker, but they weren't ones to be bullied. And what really angered her father was that they wanted Mira to be the concubine of their Young Lord as proof of her father's loyalty. The doting father couldn't bear to listen to them any longer and had sent them off. Now they sent a Snake level assassin disguised as a Thrasher to participate in the Grand Tourney. Her father had every right to be cautious.
"What did they look like?" the City Lord asked.
"Reporting to the City Lord, there were three youngsters in total: two young men and one lady. All of them have exceptional looks, but one of them has very peculiar hair. This person has yellow hair, and it would be easy to spot him. Does the City Lord want us to detain them when they get out of the Forest?" the guards asked cautiously.
"No need. They are already here." The City Lord smiled and turned to look ahead. Mira frowned and cast her sights ahead as well. Her guard stood at her side, as stoic as ever. Yet her hand never left the hilt of the weapon strapped to her back. As for Rusty, he was still seated. Yet his aura was growing ever stronger. Their reaction seemed over the top. And the guards couldn't understand why the atmosphere had changed so much just because of the appearance three young people.
Soon, Mane and the twins walked out of the Enchanted Forest. The City Lord, Mira and Blake watched the three as they approached. Mira had to admit that the guards were right when they said that all three were right at the top in terms of looks. The young woman with the big green eyes possessed an ethereal sort of beauty that made one feel inferior just by being next to her. The other boy who shared similar looks to the girl seemed a bit effeminate, yet the aura of dominance and nobility he exuded was no joke. He was also very good looking. Compared to the first two, the last person was even more eye catching. It wasn't his beautiful yellow locks or ocean blue eyes that caught her attention, but the fact that his clothes were in tatters and his body reeked of blood. And from the blood she could smell power. Whatever it was this boy had killed, it was very strong!
Their looks aside, Mira was stunned by their auras. Two of them were Predators! And they looked so young. The only person who wasn't giving out any energy was the yellow haired boy. But she got chills from just staring into his cold eyes. And Blake who stood next to her had unsheathed her weapon fully as she transitioned into a fighting stance. Rusty had unknowingly appeared next to the City Lord, and his threatening aura was crashing. The two guards were struggling to breath from the pressure. They looked wide-eyed at the three youngsters who were facing the full brunt of Rusty's aura yet remained unmoved and realised that their strengths weren't simple.
"So you are the City Lord? I was impressed by your demeanor when I saw images of you during your speech at the Quarter Final Stage." Mane stopped right before the City Lord and said.
"I am very charming indeed," the City Lord laughed and said.
"I like him," Hildegarde said. Mane smiled bitterly and said to the City Lord, "Yes you are."
"Can I know why you are blocking our way? We would like to leave and I need a bath." Mane smiled and said.
"I wanted to see who you were," the City Lord smiled and said.
"And?" Mane asked
"Now that I have I want to invite you to my home," the City Lord offered, and Mira was stunned. What was her father thinking, and why was he inviting people associated with The Citadel to his home?
"That is gracious of you indeed, but as you can see I am not well groomed to meet you now. And my friends are tired as well. Please allow us to honor the invitation at a later time." Mane gave a gentleman's bow and stepped around the City Lord. Lily and Lam followed him without questioning his decision. It was easy to see who the leader was amongst them.
"How dare y– " Blake was furious. How could outsiders be so disrespectful? She bent slightly and prepared to strike, yet a hand held her hand.
"Sir Rusty?" she looked at the one who stopped her with a stunned expression. Rusty only shook his head and didn't say anything.
"Thank you for allowing us to use your Enchanted Forest. It was of great help to us," Mane suddenly turned and said.
"No problem. It is there to be used after all."
"As thanks, I left something in there for you. You should get some people to get their corpses. They are highly beneficial."
"Which part?" the City Lord asked
"The Inner Region," Mane replied as he walked away.
"Interesting lad," the City Lord smiled when Mane and the twins had already left.
"How were they interesting? They were completely disrespectful. You should learn how to get angry father. And they only let their guard speak to you" Mira huffed once Mane and the twins were gone. Blake nodded her head to show that she agreed with her Young Lady.
"Guard? You think he is a guard?" the City Lord smiled and asked his daughter.
"Well, yeah. He was the only one who had clearly been in a fight whilst the other two looked like they were on a picnic." Mira replied.
"Didn't you notice that they followed his every word? When he stopped, they stopped. When he said to leave, they left without a word. I don't know why he was the only one fighting, but he is no guard. The aura of nobility he exudes is stronger than that of the other two. None of them are normal." The City Lord explained.
"He is no guard. He is my equal. So why does he have to be polite?" the City Lord said with a smile, and Mira and Blake were stunned. As for Rusty, he still looked expressionless.
"The other two are Predators, yet their auras are unstable meaning that they had just broken through. And they didn't look like they had fought at all. But that boy has a stable aura even though he had clearly been through a battle. He is clearly stronger than them." The City Lord calmly stated, and the two guards were stunned.
Those three were Predators! All of them! And from the City Lord's words, the one with the yellow hair was more dangerous than the other two.
"Did you notice it, Rusty?" the City Lord suddenly asked.
"Yes. That boy, even I felt fear when I tried to probe him. And when he looked into my eyes I could feel him warning me. If any of us had tried to move against them, we would have died." Rusty expressionlessly stated.
His words stunned everyone but the City Lord. Mira, Blake and the two guards were filled with a bit of fear and dread. Blake finally understood why Rusty stopped her from acting just now. Someone that could make Rusty so cautious could easily dispose of her!
"Are you still going hunting?" Rusty asked.
"Of course. I need to see if I can find the gift he left behind for me." The City Lord laughed and went into the Enchanted Forest. Mira quickly followed him with Blake by her side.
"Oh and don't let anyone into the Enchanted Forest for the next few days. I don't want anyone else stealing my gift."